Nest spacing and architecture, and swarming of males of Dinoponera quadriceps (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in a remnant of the Atlantic forest in Northeast Brazil.

Abstract

Dinoponera quadriceps is a queenless neotropical ponerinae ant. Nest spacing and abundance were investigated in a remnant of the Atlantic forest in Northeast Brazil. Males were captured with a light trap between August 1994 and July 1996. Nest density varied from 15 to 40 ha(-1). An overdispersion of nests suggests that the intraspecific competition may be an important factor regulating their spatial arrangement. Territory size was correlated with worker population size of the colonies. The nests had up to 16 chambers, with variations in their architecture closely related to habitat diversification. Populations varied from 12 to 97 adult workers per nest, with a mean density of 1,618 workers ha(-1) and a live biomass of 461 g ha(-1) (n = 13 nests). Males swarm continually throughout almost all months of the year, suggesting that production and swarming are more influenced by mechanisms that regulate the sexual activity of workers than by climatic factors.